Why Participate in NHD

Yesterday I visited Springfield's Hayward Middle School where the students are given the option to participate in NHD. Students will ask me sometimes, "Do I have to do this?" This is usually a discussion that happens between student and teachers, but I wanted to highlight some reasons to participate in NHD.

Direct your own learning: With History Day you get to create your own contribution to the field of history with your research and project. Sometimes students uncover sources or stories that no one else has illuminated. Plus, you get to explore a topic of your own interest and become immersed in something that you may not otherwise get the opportunity to learn about.

Compete!: For some students, competing may be really attractive. It is a way to challenge yourself and in some cases, win cash prizes or scholarship. We give away a half scholarship to Case Western Reserve University at Ohio History Day every year.

Prep for College: History Day gives you the opportunity to talk about out-of-school academic experiences, high-level research, and even create a piece for your portfolio. Students who participate in NHD report to us that they have a much easier time transitioning to college-level expectations of research and work.

Admittedly, a History Day project can be a lot of work, but I think many students who have gone through the process will say it is well worth it!

Web Site Category

This year NHD is requiring that all web site entries are created through their online portal at www.nhd.org. Here in the NHD-Ohio office our intern, Lola, created a sample web site and provided some insight on creating a web site entry with the new software:

http://76493248.nhd.weebly.com/

Designing a website through the NHD Website Portal using Weebly Editor is so easy and fun that anyone can do it. The designing process simply consists of the designer choosing whatever design or element they like, dragging it to the desired location, and dropping it at that location.
Creating pages on the website is also a cinch. The designer simply selects the title “New Page,” adds a “Page Name”, and begins to build the page with any element they choose. The elements contain a combination of words and pictures.
I think the best part of the NHD Website Portal using Weebly Editor is the multimedia section. The multimedia section offers a variety of choices such as the photo gallery, the audio player, and YouTube video. All of these choices make the website come alive and it becomes more interesting and interactive.
My overall designing experience of a NHD Website using Weebly Editor is definitely a good one and I would recommend it for students and teachers who want to include it as part of the History Day format. The process offers you a chance of choosing, managing, and learning something new with no intimidation at all.

Analyzing Photographs at Robinson G. Jones School

Thursday was our final school visit, for this week at least. We met with the 7th and 8th graders at Robinson G. Jones School in Cleveland. The students were great listeners as they learned all about History Day. They also participated in an activity analyzing photographs and thinking about possible topics and the impacts inventions have had on society. Below is an example of one of the photographs the students examined, along with the questions they answered. How would you answer them?



What is the invention?
What are the positive impacts of this invention on society?
Are there any negative consequences?
Have there been innovations or improvements to this invention over time?



(at this point I have to give a nod to Mrs. Reidel's afternoon class and the monkeys on the stoplights!)

What is important to learn from this activity is that when choosing a topic for History Day and when putting together your project, you have to remember the "Impact and Change" part of the theme this year. Make sure you demonstrate why the innovation was significant or important to society.